Team furloughed, home schooling and not enough time.......sound familiar? 5 TIPS TO GET YOU IN CONTROL.

Time is our most valuable resource and ONCE IT IS GONE IT’S GONE !

There doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day.

How true this is, now more than EVER before?!

In the past months we have been faced with dealing with a brand new set of circumstances, putting even more pressure on our scarce resource....TIME!

Business owners and leaders have found themselves working from home, dealing remotely with team, customers and suppliers. You have been applying for CIBLS and BBLS, grants and furloughing team. On top of that, you have been schooling your kids and keeping them entertained and safe throughout the day.

It is no wonder, I am coaching time structure and spotting signs of burnout more than ever before. I have been in AWE of the resilience shown. RESPECT !!

So, here are some super easy time tips to get you through the next months, as we tip toe our way back to doing business.

The biggest tip in time management is having CLEAR priorities.

 By dividing work into URGENT tasks, short and long-term goals, you’ll be able to allocate your time more effectively. So, here are my 5 Top time management tips :

1. Communication – prioritise it!

Email, can be both your best friend or worse enemy ! On one hand, it’s a way for passing vital information. If you are distracted by the new message box popping up every few minutes, then it's a distraction from you achieving your goals. Set specific time to review emails. This will this keep you in the loop, and allow you to get the tasks done you need to throughout the day.

2. Default diary your “focus” time.

One of the aspects of running a business right now is it involves being pulled in all sorts of directions. Block off part of your daily schedule. Dedicate this time to your goals and most important outcomes.

Make sure you are disciplined during this time. Concentrate on the tasks at hand that lead you towards your goal achievement. Be super stingy with your time. Don't give it up easily to others if you can avoid it! This will stop time drifting away.

3. Book meetings in chunks.

When it’s time to book meetings, hold zoom calls, it is best to group them after one another. This will keep you punctual and won’t break up the remainder of your day. Doing this will keep you motivated and focused – meetings will be more productive.

REMEMBER - NOT EVERYTHING HAS TO LAST AN HOUR !! Deliberately set meetings and calls for 40 minutes or even less, instead of an hour. 20 minutes, super focused, rather than half an hour. Simple hack, but so effective!

4. Prioritise with the goal in mind.

When you’re running a business, you must learn to be flexible. Every day at the moment presents a different challenge with curve balls thrown at you. To organise yourself, set priorities and plan tasks by urgent and important and others that can remain on the back burner. From there, build your list based on importance, time involved, or resources needed. Remember the 4 Ds “Do it, Delegate it, Defer it or Dump it”. Create checkpoints to keep yourself on track.

5. Agendas for every meeting with outcomes / intent defined.

Long, drawn out, ineffective meetings or calls are the biggest eater of time. You have the power to change this. Give your meeting purpose by creating a simple, template. You should include topics, major discussion points, and action items and WHO owns the action and by WHEN.

FINALLY - Don't forget to reward yourself.......

These are TOUGH times. Following these 5 QUICK TIPS will gain you back more of your most important and scarce resource.

Take stock of everything you have achieved. All the great stuff you have done, and reward yourself. You might not have been winning much recently. If that is the case for you, then celebrate what you have learned and how well you have dealt with the blows. Give yourself credit. Take some of the time you will gain back through these tips and spend it on YOU !!

TIME is one of the most important areas we work with business owners and their teams on. So, if TIME is one of your challenges, if you feel close to burnout, get in touch, book a time through the link below.

I can help you get back in control.